Previews

Pitfall Harry

A veritable jungle of classic Atari 2600 elements blended with the lush, 3D sensibilities of today.

Pitfall was a staple of every gamer's diet back in the pixel-damp era of the Atari 2600. All that vine swinging and treasure seeking had me formulating a private jungle adventure in my head ... even though I was still a wee tike with a bed-wetting complex! Now fast forward past all that mish-mashed crap that followed -- NES, SNES, PlayStation -- and embrace the subtleties of what this new Pitfall Harry encompasses. If you're compelled to read more bitching and moaning about why the last bunch of foliage fests were so lackluster, dig into March's first-look preview.

For the remainder of this article, however, you'll be introduced to the new Pitfall Harry, a cocky, womanizing explorer that constantly flaunts his ego. Keep in mind, this game is targeted for a younger demographic, so there won't be any full-frontal exposures or heavy sexual innuendo, but the opening cinema still has fun with the character. He's lively when he hits on the lovely female lead, and she's wholly animated when she scoffs at his come-ons. But it's not long before the plane's engine starts smoking and everyone starts barreling out. Being the noble Don Juan that he is, Harry shoves the last parachute into the lady's manicured hands and pushes her out into the open air. After the brutal crash, he wakes up only to find one of the elderly adventurers incapacitated. Slipping Harry the "Hero's Handbook," he convinces the intrepid adventurer that he must find the other members of the expedition crew scattered throughout the rainforest, all while searching for the king of all treasures.
On his path, a rival gold-seeking troop presents some opposition, as they want to snag all the riches for themselves instead of placing them in the hands of their rightful owners and respective museums. Yet, that's not really what the classic Pitfall was all about, now was it? So holding true to the original game, there are plenty of vines lingering over pits -- pits with nasty, haven't-brushed-since-last-Thanksgiving teeth that tend to swallow Harry whole if you're not careful. What's impressive, though, is the intuitive control involved in swinging; rather than utilize the limited rope-climbing qualities of Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (wherein you had to stop swinging in order to switch directions), this Pitfall allows you to sway back and forth in any direction, simply by teasing the left-analog stick. The animation is extremely fluid, maintaining an exaggerated, Saturday morning cartoon quality. Zany, I suppose, would be a proper word to describe Harry's mannerisms.

Crocs played an intricate role in the vintage '80s jungle jive as well, so what would an updated Pitfall be without loads of scaly chompers waiting patiently for their dinner? Let's say you're not quick enough to leapfrog over all the feisty crocs, though -- it happens (even to savvy, game-playing professionals like yours truly). Instead of sending you all the way back to the beginning of the level, developer Edge of Reality devised a more forgiving solution. After you're swallowed, jamming on the left analog stick will cause Harry to force the crocodile's jaw open, allowing him to spring out without life-ending penalty. The same goes for when you're gobbled up by one of those nasty pits; you'll take a slight amount of damage, but will be spit back out to continue your mission. Such rings true to the game's mantra: "Fun, not Frustrating," as one Activision representative put it oh so poetically.

Judo flip!

Yet, there are plenty of newly devised features that compliment the Pitfall universe quite nicely, fitting in snuggly with the rest of the classic happenings. For one, Harry stocks a Mary Poppins' plethora of goodies in his backpack, from a rubber raft for paddling the white rapids to a health-quenching canteen. One of the slickest, however, is the ice picks. Like a lot of the accessories in the game, the cool climbing gear uses what Edge of Reality has dubbed "Direct Control," wherein the left analog stick articulates Harry's left hand, and the right toggle moves his right hand. Such ingenuity makes scaling a snowy mountain wall quite thrilling. You're not just pointing in a particular direction and moving there automatically, you're actually exercising both of your thumbs in unison to get you to each destination. "Direct Control" also applies to just about every item and weapon in the game.

While the visuals are a bit rough around the edges, this Pitfall almost makes up for it by tossing in a bulk of enemies and levels. With over 50 stages -- taking Harry from the lush, South American jungle to Aztec ruins -- and dozens of playful baddies -- snakes, scorpions, spiders, bats, jaguars, piranhas, giant insects, natives, mercenaries, bush ninjas, and annoying howler monkeys -- there's no arguing that the game packs variety.

From the looks of it, Harry stands to transcend its preteen target and appeal to the masses ... but such a bold statement should be reserved for the review. For now, let's just say that Edge of Reality's new-age Pitfall is merely evolving the concept of the classic game, not desecrating it like past efforts. In my field guide, that's pretty novel.